Hoping for a Transformation
by Bitter-Tempered
Summary: Solly Penelope Zaki is abnormal. She is a shy girl who wants to conquer the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. Her Personality usually gets in the way of things. She hopes that exploring the labyrinth will help her change ,and become more assertive. But the Labyrinth and her personality aren't the only things that she should be worried about... (This is an Etrian Odyssey Untold story.)
1. A Train Wreck of a Start

_**This story is on Etrian Odyssey Untold's classic mode (I mean it's a mixture of story and classic, or something like it) and not the original game. I would love to hear your advice. I have the main story planned out, but I'd really would appreciate it if you gave me some requests.**_

* * *

"All aboard!" The train was leaving its station. Solly sat was solemnly gazing out the window. Solly was a shy pink-haired girl planning to head to Etria. At this point the sky reflected her mood;it was and there was a high chance of flooding. Outside the window, there was brunette girl in eastern clothing running up to the back of the train. Solly sighed and pulled out her ticket just so she would prepared for it to be punched.

She started to wonder about irrelevant things. She remembered the fun times she had had in her hometown of Tharsis. She slowly turned to her left. There was one lonely seat. Why did this remind Solly of herself? They were both cold, empty ,and alone. Solly did not know why she was comparing herself to a chair, but she oddly continued. They were both lacking something. That something being a purpose. Solly was engulfed in her sorrow that she honestly felt like she was chair.

She was finally broken out of her stupor when the girl from earlier sat in the chair. Did that mean something? Solly doubted the thought. Solly briefly examined the girl. She appeared to be a Ronin. She was armed with a golden katana. She wasn't very tall either. She had an abundance of flowers in the side of her hair. The girl wore a bland expression until she laid eyes on Solly. Her face then quickly molded itself into a grown.

"Do you need something?" Her voice was almost womanly,but had the sound of child's voice. It was weirdly high pitched, but mature. Her voice was lower than what Solly had expected.

"What?! No... I..." Solly shook her head. She pointed to the katana that the girl held. "I'm not sure if you're supposed to have that out like that..." Solly felt bad while staying that. She even felt hypocritical about it, but she was hiding hers.

"I don't see a problem with it. Why would I show my weapon if I intend to do harmful things?" The girl crossed her arms.

"Well, I didn't mean that..."

"I'm not putting it away unless someone of higher authority tells me to."

"I was just trying to help..." Solly whimpered. She couldn't stand people at times. She furrowed her brow and turned to her right. At least she could look out the window. All she could see now was the blurred image of the plains and trees they were passing. She found it soothing. She peered out at the lakes and rivers that they were passing. She was feeling better, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. She felt something warm on the back of her head. She turned around to see the girl in her face.

"Excuse me?" Solly uttered.

"I've heard of people like you. What were they called?" The girl stared at Solly for a split second. "That's it! You're introverted!"

"Please stop..."

The girl stuck out her hand in Solly's direction. "The name is Hina. Hina Kakasei to be correct. Call me Hai."

"Kakasei? Isn't that the strongest family in the east?!" Solly screeched.

Hina laughed."I guess you can say that." The girl put the katana she had next to her in the seat. Another girl looked over from her seat. She was a seat ahead of Hai. She was serene until she saw Hai's weapon. The girl had purple eyes and brown hair. She was wearing a red cape and a green cap. She had a rather anxious expression.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" The girl asked. "A sword like that is dangerous. Especially in the hands of a murderous Kakasei." Hai proceeded to eye the girl.

"Who do you think you are?"

"Kara." She retorted.

A blonde girl with a white lab coat walked in. "My name is Cindi, and I'm here to punch your tickets. I can also put away excess luggage." She saw the looks of dismay on Hai's face and went deal the situation. Kara grew a smug look on her face as Cindi approached.

"Can you tell this bloody Kakasei to put this sword away?" Kara sneered.

"No, I am not putting it away." Hai replied to the question that wasn't directed to her.

"A Kakasei, Hm...? It is rare for any of you to leave your eastern homeland. Why are you headed to Etria?" Cindi grew a smile.

"The Radha Hall called me in for reasons I can't explain in public."

Cindi nodded. "I see. I have a cousin in Etria. I'm going to help him with the clinic there. Today is my last day working for this company... I might explore the Yggdrasil labyrinth myself, but I find it dangerous and pricey. And I'd have to buy new armor."

"New armor? What about weapons?" Solly inquired. Cindi went quiet.

"What about Kakasei's weapon?! I don't like it out like this!" Kara pouted like a kid.

Cindi turned toward Kara and beamed. "Do you see that katana anywhere?"

"Where'd you put it! That katana is my family's most prized possessions!"

"Oh, relax. It's in the compartment above your head. I locked it, and I'll unlock it after the trip."

"Good." Kara sounded more than satisfied. "Thanks."

Solly sat still for a few moments. She began to ponder about the whereabouts of her family. She had relatives in the Armoroad branch of a guild called RAGNAROK and an aunt in the Tharsis branch. Her aunt had disbanded the guild. So she was mainly thinking about the two in Armoroad branch. Her great aunt and her cousin were in Armoroad. Solly's thoughts shifted to Hai's family. Why would they send her to city by herself? Solly knew why her family split up. They all went to explore different labyrinths. They all just joined separate parts of the same guild. Why would they send Hai to Etria with no one to work with?

Solly heard Hai wince. Solly assumed that Hai did that because she was bickering with Kara. She continued her daze. Solly had suddenly realized something. She had never thought of how the guild RAGNAROK would react to her request to join. She wondered about her adventure, and what it would be like. She could only imagine the whole thing. She had hoped that she wouldn't be as introverted when the entire thing ended.

Solly heard the sound of people. Screaming people. Solly snapped of her thoughts to an eyesore of a show. Kara held Hina by her hair, and two men were holding Cindi back. All of the passengers were panicked. Kara was still wearing that look of achievement. Kara did that on purpose. Hina looked up at her while struggling slightly.

"What are you doing?!" Hai shouted.

"Oopsie, have I forgotten to explain myself?" She sounded insane. "This is a robbery."

"What?!" Hai hissed.

Cindi grimaced. "So, you are Kara of the Dominion? I knew the resemblance was too close." Cindi spat out in a venomous tone.

"Yeah, that's me! If it weren't for you... I wouldn't have been able to initiate my plan. With Kakasei's weapon and all." She spoke boastfully.

Solly felt disgusted. The Dominion wasn't good news. The Dominion was the pirate group that originated in the southern seas,but over time they grew into a worldwide terror. They were led by the pirate Blackbeard. And the Dominion had the insatiable desire for domination. The more they took, the more they wanted.

Solly pulled up her hood on her black jacket. She crept to the side and moved away from the scene. She edged for the doorknob, and peered back at Cindi before she left. Cindi was wearing her normal smile. That was odd for a situation like that. Why was she grinning? Solly unintentionally gawked at Cindi's expression, and it only grew wider. Cindi elbowed the men holding her back and they slammed to the ground beneath them. Cindi suddenly pulled out a blue hammer.

"You see why I didn't answer the weapons part, deary?" Cindi spoke to Solly from across the room. "Now, would you mind helping me with this situation?" Cindi asked while pointing the blue hammer at Kara's throat. Kara cringed and let go of Hina's hair. She attempted to escape before banging into Solly.

"I should have known that you were a Dark Hunter." Kara voice was low. "Oh my. I wonder if anyone will come to my aid." She stated with a flat voice. Cindi was beaming still.

"What makes you say that?" She inquired. "No one is going to help you."

Kara smiled, "No one? Of course not, I have two people that are going to help me." Kara replied. Hina got to her feet. And the girls stood there silently.

"Looks like nobody is coming." Solly said quietly.

"Oh, you won't see them coming." Kara snapped her fingers and moved slightly to her left. As she did so the ceiling that was above where she was fell. The piece of the ceiling had burning marks on it. A hand came out from the hole on the ceiling. It was covered in an Alchemist's glove. Kara did an inhuman leap and grabbed the arm. "Sayonara, suckers!" The arm pulled her up.

"Oh, great. See what you did? If you had just let me keep my katana, none of this would have happened!" Hai shouted at Cindi. Cindi closed her eyes and began to hum like they weren't in a bad situation.

"That hand was one person... Where's the other?" Solly asked to herself. Solly went to move ,but she fell on her face. The other girls stared at her with dumbfounded expressions. Solly felt embarrassed at first before she thought for a moment.

 _'Hexers and Curse Makers have the ability to ail and bind their opponents without them even noticing. There was nothing on my legs, but I am clumsy...'_

"Are you okay?" Cindi peered down at her.

"I'm fine,but you should look out for a Hex-" Solly stopped talking. She detected a small purple-haired girl with blue eyes and a cloak. The girl had a strange doll in her hand ,and she was chanting some sort of spell while she was grabbing its head. She was staring at Solly with her soulless eyes. She had to be the one.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Hai turned around to see what Solly was staring at. She saw the girl too. She took a step forward. "What are you doing?" She asked the girl.

The girl stopped. "You have strong legs." She said.

"Why would you know that?"

"Adhuc manere." The girl replied. Hai fell to the floor.

"That's a paralysis spell. It's Latin for 'stay still'. I'm quite surprised with you. That was the first time that 'crus solvere', my leg bind spell, didn't work." The girl smiled. "The pink girl here is pretty smart. She almost caught me." The girl stared at Cindi. Cindi was tapping her foot.

"Is that the best you have?" She asked with a smile. "You can come out now ,Deiji."

"What?" The girl turned around to see blond-haired boy with a red scarf and Alchemist's gloves. "You think that this is enough to scare me?" She eyed the boy.

"No, but it's enough to distract you." The boy named Deiji said back. The girl cringed ever so slightly before she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She slowly fixed her gaze on Cindi. Cindi held a syringe in her dominate hand.

"Don't worry, it's just an anesthetic." Cindi commented. The girl collapsed.

Solly rose from the ground. "How'd you do that?" Hai got up afterwards.

"It's a skill that I have. I am technically a Medic." Cindi giggled. "I gave her a little taste of her medicine, don't you think?"

"Haha, Cindi. Do you ever think like a normal person?" Hina growled.

"Normal? There's no such thing!" Cindi exclaimed happily. "I think that we should all introduce ourselves!"

"What?! How stupid are you?"

"Not stupid enough to keep on insulting the person that has control of whether or not you get to see that katana again." Cindi remarked with her jovial voice. "Anyway, if we're going to stop Kara, we should at least get to know each other." Cindi suggested. "I think we should start with her." She eyed Solly.

Solly shivered, "Oh... um... me?" Solly stuttered.

"Yes, you introverted girl." Hai put a hand on her hip.

"My name's S-Solly... Solly Penelope Zaki. I'm Hanasaki Zaki's daughter." Solly looked down.

"Oh,okay. Well, I'm pretty sure you know that my name's Cindi. It is pleasant to meet all of you." Cindi introduced herself second.

"My name is Hina Kakasei. Call me Hai." Hai bowed slightly.

"My name is Deiji." The boy with the red scarf spoke.

" 'Deiji' what?" Hai suddenly asked.

"We're in the middle of a robbery do you think that my last name really counts? Cindi didn't even say hers!"

"Well, you see... Cindi's a complete jerk." Cindi kicked the back of Hai's leg as she said that.

"Fine, it's Deiji Signum."

Solly was pretty sure that she had heard the last name "Signum" before. Maybe it was something that she had learned in training. She ignored her deja vu.

"Now that we've introduced ourselves, we can come up with a plan." Cindi clasped her hands together. "Solly, do you mind planning for us?"

"W-what? Why?" Solly stammered.

"You look like you think a lot. You're kinda aloof, but in a good way." Hai's voice rang out.

"Really? I don't think I can... This is the first time I've had to use my skills in something that wasn't training."

"Just think of something already." Deiji adjusted his scarf on his neck.

Solly grimaced. She wasn't even used to talking to people ,and now she had to come up with a plan. She felt her hands get clammy and sweaty. She was shaking in her case. Why did Cindi even think that she could do this. People were in danger and Solly had to devise an idea to save them. But how?

* * *

 _ **Author's note thingy:  
**_

 _ **Yay, I finished the okay-ish first chapter! Yeah, yeah, I know it's short, but at least it's not another chapter of "Prophecy". I'm taking a break on that. I decided to try a new type of introduction. The kind where you're kinda forced to talk. Is that good or bad? Doesn't matter to me.**_


	2. Stopping the Train Wreck

_**Chapter Two: Stopping the Train Wreck**_

"So, Kara and the mysterious Alchemist are on the roof of the train, right?" Solly asked after five minutes of panicking.

"I'm pretty sure about that." Hai leaned back. "Are you saying that we should go after them?"

"Hina, let the girl finish."Cindi frowned. "For someone who was raised in the east, you're extremely rude."

Solly moved her palms to her face. "Well..." She trailed off. "Cindi you'll have to go on the top of the train with Hai. And that's only because I'm wearing high heels ,and the fact that Deiji's in charge of keeping the girl you just sedated." Both of the females Solly mentioned had cringes stuck on their faces.

"Fine. As long as she gives me my sword back." Hai began to mess with the flowers in her hair. Cindi unlocked the compartment the sword was in and threw it at Hai. "Thanks."

Cindi shrugged. "I don't know Solly. What are you and Deiji going to do while we're up there?"

"Um, you see..." Solly rubbed the back of her head. "My mother knows a lot about the Dominion. She told me a few dozen stories about them too. After hearing those stories, I have gotten an idea on how they think."

"So, what?" Deiji picked up the unconscious girl.

"It seems like Kara and her companion will go to last resort." Solly looked to the side.

"Stop procrastinating! We don't have much time left!" Hai glared at her. "We've already wasted time."

"It seems like Kara will crash this train. So I'm presuming that they'll attempt to make it to the front of the train. Deiji and I will try to beat Kara to the front in order to surprise her and end her game." Solly's aura had changed.

"Okay then, let's go Cindi!" Hai leaped through the hole. Cindi waved and followed shortly after giving Solly a strange glower of sorts.

* * *

Solly turned to the boy beside her. His scarf reminded her of someone, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She shifted her gaze to the small girl. She looked around Solly's age. She wondered why a girl like that would participate in a robbery. Deiji looked at Solly for a moment before he spoke to her.

"Don't stare at her like that. You pity her ,don't you?"

Solly nodded. "Why would she do something like this?"

Deiji made a sneer like expression. "You don't know who she is then. This girl's name is Suno, and she's in Pandora's Children. It's part of how she lives."

Solly felt herself twitch slightly. "Pandora's Children? As in the assassin's guild that everyone fears?" Solly began to walk, and Deiji trailed behind her.

"Yes, the assassin's guild controlled by the demon Pandora. Suno is Pandora's youngest daughter. Pandora adopted her though."

"The Dominion and Pandora's Children...Why would they be working together?"

Deiji adjusted the girl he was carrying. "They want to everyone to fear them, but soon enough they'll stop and try to defeat the other."

Solly and Deiji opened the door to another part of the train. This part was perfectly fine. No one was even startled. There was loud chatting ,and it was hard to hear anything except for the ongoing conversation.

"Kara must've planned to take each part of the train down by surprise." Deiji nearly shouted at Solly. It was just that loud in there. It was crowded in there too, and the people were friendly. It was hard to breathe in the hot air. Solly saw the door and squeezed her way to it. She took a few deep breaths and sighed.

"We made it Deiji..." She yawned. "That was hard." She turned over to her side to see that there was no one beside her. "Oh,no!" Deiji was very short and so was Suno. How would she be able to find them in that mess?

"E-excuse me!" She called out to a young man with brown hair, brown eyes ,and really big cowlick. He appeared to be in the Highlander clan. "Have you seen a boy the size of fifth grader? He's a blonde with blue eyes!" Solly felt her voice get shaky. That was the first time she had spoken to a stranger ever since she had met her master.

"No, I don't think so." Solly got frantic after that.

"Looking for someone?" She heard a low voice speak. It was Suno.

"What?!" Solly looked down at her and tried to to pick her up, but Solly fell on her face. "Could you stop doing that?!" The floor muffled Solly's voice.

"It's so funny watching you face-plant! Why should I stop?!"

"Because I have more sedatives." Deiji spawned from behind Suno with syringe in his hand. That wasn't the most notable thing. He was also in a frilly pink dress.

"Wh-" Solly was interrupted by Deiji.

"Shut up! Suno has a spell that instantly makes you appear in a dress of her choice!" Deiji's face was red.

"I like to call it 'Perfectus Habitu' or 'Perfect Dress' in Latin." Suno laughed.

"That's not what I meant, Deiji. Get her!" Solly suddenly rose up and tackled Suno. She looked back at the Highlander. "This is a long story." It appeared as if he didn't even hear her.

"No, no, wait!" Suno yelled out. Deiji paused.

"What now?"

"I can make them stop! Just don't inject me with that crap again!" Suno pleaded.

"Is that okay Solly?" Deiji stared at her.

"Fine,but if she does one thing... Don't hesitate to inject her with the sedative." Solly got off the girl's back.

"That's fine." Deiji agreed.

* * *

"It sure is windy up here!" Cindi called out. "And it's hard to hear~! But I like how my voice echos~!"

"How are we supposed to get to the front if the train if we haven't move in ten minutes?!" Hai was shivering.

"We walk against the cold~!" Cindi marched ahead. She was using her hammer as a sort of cane. Hai began to walk behind her.  
"Solly is very intelligent for her age, don't you think?" Cindi spoke.

Hai tried to move faster. "Yeah, she completely changed. I guess that's how all the Zakis are. Lazasia conquered the titan, Hanasaki is one of the world's greatest explorers, Hanami was the strongest Zodiac, and her daughter is following in her footsteps..." Hai sighed. "I wish that my family had such geniuses."

Cindi smiled. "You do have quite the reputation, Hai." Cindi stopped for a second. "You shouldn't envy Solly. Your family is royalty. And your sister helped defeat the titan. If anything, the Zakis should envy you."

Hai's face darkened for a second. She turned away and strained her eyes."You see those two dots? That's them. They're approximately sixty feet away. We ought to hurry."

Cindi looked back at her. "Don't tell me to hurry. You're the one that is behind me!" She happily exclaimed. She began to run. "Hurry up, Hai~!"

"I can't run in these clothes!" Hai began to jog after the woman.

"Too much surface area!"

"Did you just call me fat?!" Hai suddenly began to sprint toward her.

"I knew that would work." Cindi said to herself.

They ran for about five minutes before they made it to the area that was about nine feet from Kara. Kara stood there by herself with her arms crossed. Her companion was not in sight.

"I see that you gave Kakasei her sword back." Kara's stance was wide and she did not look like she was going to move soon. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to do something?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't hit little girls." Cindi slid between Kara's legs. "And if you'll excuse me, I have customers to save~! Hai, you deal with her!" Cindi dashed away.

* * *

"This is boring." Suno pouted.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be helping us?" Deiji glared at her.

"How would I do that? We aren't even fighting yet."

"Y-you could describe what we're up against. You could help us in battle. You could get Deiji out of that dress. You could teleport us there." Solly answered Suno.

"Oh, okay." Suno scratched her head. "My big sister Rojo is here. Inki would have come too, but mom is testing her in Armoroad. Anyway, Rojo is armed with Alchemist's gloves, a wand ,and a really, really, _really_ big forehead. She's a blonde with blue eyes. Her favorite color is red. Hence the name Rojo, and that's Spanish for red." Suno groaned. "She's a hassle. She has a wide variety of attacks that hit more than one opponent. She's going get mad at me for telling you this. I know her greatest weakness too."

"Well, what is it?" Deiji was examining the frills on his dress before he noticed Solly staring at him.

Suno fell quiet. "I'm not telling you." The Alchemist and the Dark Hunter in front of her looked down at her. Solly was suddenly pale.

"Deiji, you can use that sedative now."

"Wait! No!" Deiji edged toward the girl and injected her again. Both Solly and Deiji were surprised to see that it had no effect.

"What happened?" Solly whispered.

"Haha, it didn't work! My body has grown resistant to that potion!" Suno bragged. Solly opened her jacket slightly, and pulled out a sword. Suno backed up. "Oh, you're a sword Dark Hunter. That means that you ail things too... Oh,no."

"I recommend that you tell us." Solly pointed it at Suno's neck. "Or you'll be paralyzed within two seconds."

Deiji stared at the pink-haired female. Solly was afraid of strangers, but she wasn't afraid to do that with her sword or explore a deadly dungeon. Deiji found that odd. She changed so drastically. At first she was stuttering her name ,and right then she was threatening a criminal. Deiji wondered on the topic, but he then ignored the fact. If he brought it up, Solly would go shy again.

"Rojo doesn't like it when her forehead is made fun of, okay? You don't need to be so hasty..." Suno mumbled.

"That's her weakness?" Solly seemed confused.

"Yes." Suno chanted something and soon after she began to levitate. The other two began to walk forward. The parts of the train that were closest to the front were storage for luggage. Even though, most trains put storage rooms closer to the end. Those rooms were dead silent. All that the trio could hear was the tap of footsteps, and the awkward whooshing that Suno's floating made. It was darker in there too. Solly thought to herself, and realized who Deiji reminded her of.

He was a close friend of hers and her relatives. His name was Ryuu. Solly was pretty sure that Ryuu had no true family. Ryuu always said that they died, but Ryuu and Deiji shared the last name "Signum". Solly decide to ask him about it to break the wall of silence.

"Deiji, do you have any family?" Deiji appeared to be alarmed when Solly asked that.

"What? No... I just have my mom. My dad vanished in the labyrinth, and my brother..." Deiji had a look of sadness on his face. "My brother is still out there... I hope he is."

"Does your brother just so happen to be named Ryuu?"

Deiji crossed his arms and gave Solly a look. "How do you know that?" Solly had no idea what Deiji was feeling, but she knew it was far from happiness.

"I know where he is." Solly tried not to look at Deiji. She couldn't take the look on his face. It was rather serious ,but the dress he was wearing contradicted the entire moment. Solly waited for him to respond.

"I have better things to think about." Deiji went to open the door that led to the next part of the train. Solly couldn't stop herself from frowning. Why would he say that about his brother?

When they opened the door, they saw a tall blonde standing next to the conductor. He was unconscious. The blonde stood there smirking nearly ear to ear. And as Suno said, her forehead was very, very, _very_ large.

"Hello, little sister." Rojo waved to Suno. "Did you bring them to me, or did they bring you to me?"

Suno smiled back. "It's obvious. I brought them."

"Wait a minute!" Solly turned toward Suno and fell on her face once again. Deiji held his sides and collapsed beside the girl.

"You two are so gullible." Suno giggled. "I would never betray my sister."

"So much for surprise, huh?" Deiji aimed his remark at Solly.

"Don't blame me! You were the one who wanted her to stay up!"

"Oh, you two. Stop bickering. You have a bigger situation in front of you." Rojo said with a smug look.

* * *

"Kakasei, before we fight... Answer me this: why do you care so much?" Kara's expression was stiff and unchanging.

Hai made a noise. "Well, what do I care about?"

Kara glared at her. "People. Kakaseis usually just neglect them."

Hai shrugged. "I don't know. I just do. It's normal for people to like others."

Kara seemed offended after Hai said that. "That's not what I meant." Kara spoke with a firm voice ,but her body language went against that. She was trembling. "I was talking about you and your family. Kakaseis are too heartless to be people,but..." Kara stopped talking for a brief second.

"How would you know that?" Hai inquired with a dead look in her eyes.

Kara shook her head and didn't reply to that question. "You're different than the other Kakaseis..." She finished her last sentence. "And that helped me realize that I wasn't better than any of your relatives." Hai had no idea where that was coming from, but she gladly accepted it. She knew that Kara was confused all of this time. She might not know what confuse Kara in the first place, but she figured that she would find out soon. She had a strange feeling in the back of her head that made her feel like she should trust Kara.

"So, does that mean you're going to help me stop this mess?" Hai asked.

Kara narrowed her eyes. "I guess."Rojo will be a tough one to take out."

"Rojo?"

"Rojo's the second strongest in Pandora's Children. Pandora is the strongest."

"I see. Let's go."

* * *

"A bigger situation? Don't you mean your forehead?" Deiji called out from the floor.

Rojo screeched and grabbed onto her head. "Don't listen to them! You're beautiful!" Suno regretted telling Deiji about Rojo's forehead.

"A-are you talking to your forehead?" Solly asked with a baffled stare.

"Of course she is. It's large enough to become a new organism." Deiji began to taunt Rojo.

"Shut up. At least she's not wearing a dress." Suno tried to make Deiji stop.

"Her forehead is big enough to wear a dress."

"Stop it!" Rojo fell on her knees. "I'll kill you!"

"Your forehead's already killing me."

"I hate you." Suno's voice was bland, and no one knew if she pointed it at Rojo or Deiji. Rojo face slammed on the floor ,and she was clearly knocked out.

"Nice thinking ,Deiji." Solly complimented the boy.

"Who would have thought that insults could really knock someone out?"

The pair rose, and expected Suno to do something. Suno was vomiting in a bucket, and there was a syringe stuck in her upper shoulder.

"Curse you, Cindi." She said between gags. Cindi suddenly appeared next to Solly and Deiji.

"I thought that you were supposed to surprise them." She commented.

"Yeah... The plan kinda backfired." Solly said as Cindi walked over to the conductor and healed him.

"I could tell. I had to surprise them in the end." Cindi stated. "Nice work."

"Oh... Thank you?" Solly rubbed her head. "Where's Hai?"

"She'll be here soon enough." Cindi took the syringe from Suno. "For now, we should just handle these two. We have to make sure they don't escape."

"Yes, Ma'am." Solly and Deiji spoke in unison.

* * *

 _ **Next time...  
**_

 _ **Hina Came to Etria for an unknown reason... An unknown reason that Solly, Kara, Cindi, Deiji, Rojo, and Suno will hear. Will Hai get to work with them anymore? Will Deiji ever get out of that dress? Will Solly get into RAGNAROK? Will Rojo, Kara, and Suno get arrested? Find out next time, in Chapter Three!**_

 _ **P.S...**_

 _ **(Happy Independence Day! I don't care if it's later or earlier than the fourth of July when you're reading this. It is the fourth of July now. Like as I am typing this. I would just feel bad if I didn't type this.)**_


	3. The Hassle

_**Chapter Three: The Hassle**_

 _I'm a little confused about this group that I'm in. I'm with Hai, Cindi, Deiji, and Kara. Suno and Rojo were taken into prison. Hai stood up for Kara for some reason. We were at the Radha Hall with one of the representatives of Etria. Hai actually managed to yell at him. She yelled at him in front of the land's most acknowledged explorers, Ren and Tlatchga. My mom told me about them._

 _Hai is basically just a regular Kakasei. Loud, brash, but most of the Kakaseis were quite respectful. Hai is not. She may share the resemblance that the Kakaseis have (brown hair and green eyes), but she's... Just so **HAI**. She hasn't stopped talking yet. And she forced us to go on her mission with her. Thank goodness that she's mainly concerned about Kara since she seems to know something... Hai seems to want to follow in her family's footsteps, but... To be honest, I don't know if she can. She's different... Like in a good way. That's the only thing we have in common..._

 _That mission seems to be a bit perplexing. There have been several earthquakes in Etria recently, and we have to go to an area to see if there's something causing them._

 _I'm a little worried about it. Not because it sounds serious. I should be worried about that though... I think it's going to get in the way of me joining RAGNAROK and winning over the labyrinth here. Cindi said it wouldn't... It still unnerves me._

 _Cindi also said that she would join me on my journey. She saw right through my plan. She knew that I came here because I felt strong with a sword in my hands. With my sword I felt like there wasn't a thing in this cruel world that could hurt me. So she said she'd help her cousin,who just so happens to be the Innkeeper apparently, and help me. Deiji agreed to tag along too, and since Hai wanted to come to check out the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, Kara would have to come too._

Solly wrote the small report of her day in her diary. She pulled out a bookmark and went to save the page in the book. She held the book in her hand at a weird angle and she heard Hai stop talking. She peered back over at the short brunette. Hai was giving Solly a strange stare.

"Do you need help?" Hai was wearing a petite smile. She was holding back laughter. Solly could tell.

"No, I'm fine." Solly saw the Ronin walk toward her and take the diary right out of her hands. Solly screamed watched the girl read the entire entry she made. She looked at her new allies. Deiji and Kara were both making the same irate faces, and Cindi had her eyes closed. She had the same grin as always. She was tapping her blue hammer on her hand. Hai finished reading it and Solly could tell by her confused face, but before she could even open her mouth she fell to the ground. Cindi slammed her hammer against Hai's head. As Hai collapsed Solly saw Cindi's smile grow wider.

"And that's why we don't look through each other possessions. Okay?" Cindi spoke to Hina. Hai rubbed her head.

"Fine." She winced when she touched that part of her head. "Can you heal me now?" She grumbled angrily.

Cindi got on her knees and pulled out a few bottles of medicine. She winked at Solly. Solly shivered. Cindi was almost scarier than the Innkeeper at the Inn in Tharsis. Dalla was her name...

Kara gazed at them with a fearful expression that didn't fit well on her face. "It's official, Cindi is nightmare fuel..."

Deiji laughed at her. "You're just now realizing that?"

After a while, Hai stood up. "Solly, you're so confident when you write in that book!" She slammed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I'm going to teach you how to be like that in real life!" Solly sort of glowered at the small samurai. She was waiting to see if she said anything about the mission "hindering her exploration". Hai sighed as she realized that was what Solly wanted. "You're really set on that, aren't you?" She laughed to herself. "We're gonna have to explore the labyrinth. We need to travel to those pillars... I heard that there was one on the second stratum. We can join RAGNAROK if it makes you happy. I just don't want them to know about the mission. They aren't allowed to participate." Hai murmured. "This is something that we need to handle. We don't need any other form of help."

Kara furrowed her brow and let out a sly laugh. "Every time she said 'we' in that sentence can easily be replaced 'I'." Solly heard her mutter. Solly had a feeling that Kara was right about that. I would sound better if she did say that. Solly thought of it.

 _"This is something I need to handle. I don't need any other form of help."_ She wondered why Hai was so focused on that.

"We're off to the guild building now!" Cindi skipped ahead while humming a jovial tune. Solly ran to catch up with the berserk but sweet doctor.

* * *

It was pretty late in the afternoon when they made it to the Explorer's Guild. It surprisingly looked like it meant business. Everything in the building was neat and organized. The Guild-master sat behind desk with a few papers in his hands.

"Excuse me~!" Cindi seemed so glad that it wouldn't be hard to imagine glitter around her.

The Guild-master peered up at her with an irritated expression for at least a second before he realized something. "You look like that boy who works at the Rooster Inn."

Cindi clasped her hands together. "He's my cousin~! Anyway... Do you know of any way we could join the RAGNAROK guild here?"

The Guild-master adjusted his papers. "You'll have to ask them. They seem to be pretty okay with newbies."

"Newbies? Stupid westerners and their stupid terms." Hai shook her head. "We all seem to be pretty experienced."

"Stay quiet." Deiji shushed her.

"Thank you for your time~! Cindi cried out before she turned around and left. They walked outside of the building and stared at each other. Cindi pointed her index finger to the sky. "I have an idea! We'll head to the inn and ask my cousin if he's seen RAGNAROK!"

"That's not a bad plan." Kara moved her hands behind her head. "Let's go."

The group followed Cindi to the Rooster Inn. The building was large compared to the Explorer's Guild. Cindi led the way into the crowded inn she held the door for the rest of the group. The lobby of the inn had a fireplace and there were candles all over the room for when it go dark. Cindi shifted her gaze around the room until she spotted her cousin talking to a group of explorers. There was a blue haired boy, a brunette, a black haired girl, an orange haired girl, and a light brown haired boy.

Cindi tried to identify them, but before she could, Solly spoke. "That's part of RAGNAROK." Cindi made a half impressed face.

"What makes you so sure?" Deiji was clicking a few buttons on his gloves.

Solly began to blush as she spoke about the guild she wasn't even in. "Well, the blue haired guy... His name is Kenji and he's the son of the famous adventurer Yamiko. He's a good cook as well. The black haired girl and the brown haired girl are Taikumi and Taikuna. They are sisters. The short orange haired girl is named Yuzuki. She used to be a highlander before she changed to a medic. And the boy over there with the lightest colored hair is named Taia. He was blessed with a holy voice that can control the enemy and his companions. And when he's not in battle he has to speak in a fake voice." Solly gushed.

"Oh..." Hai put her hand on her forehead. "Why don't you go and talk to them?"

Solly's eyes widened and they didn't look cheerful either. "W-what? No way. They wouldn't like to talk to a lousy sword Dark Hunter like me..." She laughed nervously.

"You say that like you aren't Hanasaki's daughter." Kara was holding a stone in her hand. It was purple and did not look natural. "Isn't she legendary too?"

"Of course...!" Solly rubbed her head. "But... I don't want to talk to them... They seem scary." Solly eyed the stone in Kara's hand. "Is that a grimoire?"

Kara made a strange sound. "I'm surprised you noticed. Yes, it is. I stole it a while ago from the Midgard Library." She moved the stone in her hand. "This one is based off a gunner's skills. That's why I always carry a gun." Kara gestured toward the hand gun that was near her waist.

"Do you have anymore?" Deiji asked.

"Nope, but I do have a way we can get more." There was a demonic expression on Kara's face.

Solly peered back at where Cindi and Hai should have been standing. They were walking over to RAGNAROK. Solly didn't know who she should be more concerned about. She stayed there to see what was Kara was up to.

"How are you going to do that...?" Solly asked quietly.

"We steal them."

"From where?" Deiji was going along with Kara's plan.

"There used to be an abandoned mansion around here, but now it's occupied by a team from the Midgard Library. It should be easy to get some stones. The team is gone half of the time. And.." Kara trailed off. She smirked at Solly. "You are almost undetectable."

Solly cringed. "No, no, no. You can't make me steal. Even if it's for grimoires!"

"Shh... We don't want anyone to hear!" Kara patted Solly's back. "No one will find out."

Solly felt her anger bubble up. She wanted to yell at her so badly. Hai stood up for Kara so she wouldn't get arrested, but Kara didn't seem to care. She heard a yell and broke out of her thoughts. Hai was yelling at RAGNAROK. She was yelling at Kenji. Cindi didn't seem to be doing anything about it. Cindi was talking to Kenji too. She gawked at that situation. She felt her face mold itself into a scowl. She strutted over to Hai and Cindi. Kenji was talkin about how they didn't need anymore than five members and Hai and Cindi were trying to convince him otherwise.

"Excuse me." Solly's voice was unflinching. It was very bold of her to speak like that. Cindi and Hai peered back at her because they didn't even recognize her voice. Cindi examined Solly a bit more and smiled when she saw that her hand was on the hilt of her blade.

Despite her happy look, Solly could have sworn she hear her say something that was the opposite of her grin. "You're so hopeless." Solly heard Cindi say. She was rather offended, but she was ignoring her. "Haven't you heard of variety?" Solly directed the question at Kenji. Kenji seemed surprised when Solly spoke. "If you stick with the same party you may find a foe that contradicts your party's talents. And by the time you find that enemy, it would most certainly be difficult to find anyone on your level."

"This one seems to know what she's talking about, Kenji." The black haired Alchemist,Taikumi, spoke. She straightened her glasses. "There may be a situation like that coming up soon."

"Well then, welcome to-" Kenji stopped the brown haired Landsknecht, Taikuna, from finishing.

"Why do you want to join so badly?" Kenji asked the question to no one in particular.

Hai moved into Kenji's face. "Why do you want to know?" She crossed her arms.

"To make sure you aren't some crazy assassins trying to kill the entire guild." He sounded like he was kidding so everyone laughed for a brief time. Kenji frowned. "I wasn't joking."

Taikumi giggled some more. "That's was why it was comical, Kenji. Anyway... Since the little miss here wants to join so badly, you'll have to prove if you are worthy." Taikumi pulled out a map and handed it to Hai. "We've mapped out most of the second stratum, but we can't seem to beat its boss. If you win in battle against that boss and bring us back an adequate map, you'll be free to join."

Solly felt like she was going to vomit. "You mean the Cernunnos? The king of the jungle?" Solly muttered.

"No problem!" Hai shouted to cover up Solly's fear. "We can do anything!"

"Hai, don't encourage her..." Solly's voice came put as a high squeal.

It was too late, Hai already encouraged Taikumi. She was quite the sadist. "Oh really?" The gleam on her glasses made her look like a pure psycho. "How about this then? If you finish the stratum before our rivals do, we'll even buy you armor."

"The Etrian Knights?" Solly whined.

"Umhm." Taikuna nodded from behind her sister. "That's them."

"Ughhh... Hai..." Solly turned her attention to Cindi. Cindi was squinting at something.

"Where'd Deiji and Kara go?" She inquired. Solly screeched and ran out the inn.

"I guess I'll go rent a room." Cindi pulled Hai away from RAGNAROK.

"Let's see how much luck you really have." Taikumi stated as Hai got dragged off into the distance.

* * *

"Get back here!" Solly found herself out in front of what seemed to be an abandoned mansion. Kara was about to enter through one of the back windows. Deiji scowled.

"C'mon. It's not that hard. Deiji will be lookout. I'll go with you..." Kara giggled.

"No." Solly stated firmly.

"I guess I'll go in by myself then. And probably get caught." Kara slid into the ajar window. Deiji gave Solly a jeering stare. Solly sighed and gave in right then. Her teacher had always told her to test her ability. And it was unfair that they didn't share the stones with explorers.

Solly jumped in the window to see that no one was in sight. Kara was good at blending into scenery. Solly smelt a scent that reminded her of training. She recognized it and she didn't like it. She remembered what it was. Tea. She peered around. She saw a chest that was in the corner of the room. She wondered what was in it. She decided to focus on other things. She saw Kara at the other end of the room. She was examining a shield. It was red and gold with a symbol in its center. Kara's eyes slowly made her way over to Solly.

"Hey~!" She whispered loudly. "This is the Sheldon shield. I could sell it for a few hundred thousand!"

" _NO_. That isn't what you said you'd steal." Solly muttered back.

"I didn't say anything about this actually~." Her voice sounded like a hum.

"Don't touch it!" Solly spoke as quietly as she could at the time. She was livid.

"Fine, you big baby." She turned away.

"You two should learn how to be quiet, you know." They heard a familiar whispery voice.

"Yeah, you'll totally get caught." They turned around to see Rojo next to her sister Suno. They had their hands inside that chest Solly had studied earlier. And it was ,in fact, filled with grimoires.

"What the? Weren't you two put away?" Solly hissed. She had a big blush mark on her face.

"We're too pretty for the slammer." Suno bragged quietly.

"Too bad." Solly reached for them. She heard another familiar voice before she could.

"They're coming back." Deiji crawled into the window. She laid eyes on Suno and his eyes widened greatly.

"Hey, what did you do to my dress?" Suno laughed.

"That's not important. We need to get outta here before we all go to the slammer." Solly muttered. Kara was grabbing the entire chest of grimoires.

"Oi, you can't take the entire box; that's too obvious." Rojo scooped up a fifth of the grimoires. "This is good."

"No, we were supposed three or some." Solly pointed out.

"Kara didn't say that." Deiji told her.

Solly's jaw tightened. "Stop it! This all wrong!" Solly cried out. They all froze when the door creaked open. The team from the Midgard Library finally showed up. They stood there like stuffed Medic suddenly spoke to the brunette.

"Isn't that the girl you described to us? The one that helped save that train?" He asked.

Solly recognized the brunette straight after that. He was the guy who she asked for help. "Hehe... What brings you here?" That was the dumbest question that Solly could have brought up at the time.

"We live here." The blonde boy let out a remark. The redhead beside him elbowed in his stomach.

"What are you doing here?" The Highlander responded to Solly.

"Uh. I was attempting to steal some of your grimoires, but good old Solly stopped me!" Rojo stood up for Solly because she saw that she was sweating. Her statement sounded more like a question. "it's just a bad habit..." Rojo sighed.

"Oh...Okay..." The girl with pigtails murmured.

"Yeah, we should leave. Like now." Kara stated. Instead of leaving through the front door, they filed out through the window. Kara, however, didn't follow. She walked out of the front door with an overly satisfied expression.

"Look at who managed to grab eight of those grimoires!" Kara laughed when they were far enough away. She held them.

"That was definitely not worth that moment." Solly wiped away some sweat from her forehead. She turned over and glared at Rojo and Suno.

"Really? After we helped you? You would have gotten arrested if Rojo hadn't done anything." Suno talked. "I think we deserve to stay with you for that."

"Fine..." Solly peered up at the evening sun. That sun seemed to be melting her worries away. She wondered if the same sun was rising in a different place at the same time. She smiled. It would be rising in Armoroad at that time. Or so she believed. She stared at the others, and the post criminals were running off to the inn like complete maniacs. Deiji stood by her side. He was oddly quiet.

"Hm." He pretended like he was unimpressed.

Solly spoke up. "What do you mean 'hm'?! This is the prettiest thing I've seen!"

Deiji mumbled something to himself. "Hey, Solly. Do you have any relatives?"

Solly jumped at the question. "Well, yeah... All the legendaries and stuff. They're cool in person though." Solly scratched the back of her head.

"Why are you so far away from them?" He began to play around with his glove some.

Solly looked around. "I dunno... We kinda want to show the world that we can do something."

Deiji shook his head. "That you can do something?" Deiji looked at the sun again. "You should keep in touch with them. Your family..." Deiji sounded afr off as he spoke those words. "If only I could speak to my family..."

Solly stared at the boy. "Why can't you?" She tried to prevent herself from sounding hurt.

"We Signums have to bare an incredible curse. That curse cannot be broken. In order for us to live on, we must separate. We must take on the place that holds each of our dragons." He put his hand over his heart. "That is the curse of Signum." Deiji began to walk away.

"Wait!" Solly yelped. "Why'd you tell me this?!"

"I was supposed to. It is best for the cursed one to stay with the one who will change like the sun." Deiji began to walk away faster.

Solly gazed at him. Was she the one who was going to change like the sun?

* * *

 _ **Yay! Deiji development! I wonder what secrets he's going to reveal by the end of the story. (I already know.) Heh. Sorry that I haven't been around. High-school's hard.**_

* * *

"Were they the group that Taikumi brought up too?" The girl with pigtails asked.

"Yeah. I wonder why she knows them already." The Highlander replied.


End file.
